ACW: Ulysses and Nathaniel's Excellent Adventure

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"What if The Armies of the Tennessee, the Mississippi and the Gulf (Or any single command or pair of commands) had attempted to take Mobile and go Up the Mobile-Alabama River System in 1863/1864"

Following the fall of Vicksburg and Port Hudson in the Summer of 1863 the Union Armies in the Mississippi Valley found themselves on idle garrison duty. The two Commanders whom had lead these forces to this Victory, Ulysses S Grant and Nathaniel P Banks now were left wondering "What was Next?" The two officers devised a plan that they felt would utilize their forces to further divide the Confederacy into Smaller Pieces.

The combined forces of the three Armies would be moved south and east, taking Mobile Bay and then, marching North and East up the Mobile, Alabama and Coosa Rivers towards the Army of the Cumberland which was operating around Chattanooga or possibly go for the City of Atlanta.

The Operation was never launched as Washington DC decided that the Army of the Tennessee (And Mississippi) would garrison the river valley while Banks would dispatch his Army of the Gulf troops towards Texas, in an attempt to take territory there, as a warning to the French in Mexico. But that was not the end of the plan.

In the fall of 1863 a few months later, as the Army of the Cumberland had been defeated at Chickamagua and was under siege in Chattanooga, Grant proposed the operation again, to relieve pressure on the trapped garrison. This was decided against, and instead Grant would with William T Sherman, move his troops overland to reopen the City from a Confederate siege. Yet again though, this would not be the end of the plan.

When Grant became Commander of the entire Union Army, he revived the plan one final time as part of his 1864 combined offensive. This time, it would just be Banks army moving on Mobile and up the rivers to link with Sherman's army moving on Atlanta. This final time the plan was scrapped in favor of sending Bank's Army up the Red River into Texas, in a campaign noted for being driven by the illigal cotton trade.

So, what are the effects of a Mobile-Alabama campaign being launched at any of the three times it was proposed?
 
In the fall of 1863 a few months later, as the Army of the Cumberland had been defeated at Chickamagua and was under siege in Chattanooga, Grant proposed the operation again, to relieve pressure on the trapped garrison. This was decided against, and instead Grant would with William T Sherman, move his troops overland to reopen the City from a Confederate siege. Yet again though, this would not be the end of the plan.

This is perhaps the most interesting period, as I'd like to see Battle of Nashville without Sherman's involvement - and consider what the actions of Bragg/Hood/Beauregard might be after such a battle.

One very distant consequence of the TL might be that without that much of an interior to flee through or to, the Confederate Cabinet (or at least Davis) might elect to escape via ship and continue as a 'government-in-exile' from, say, Martinique, or some other French possession..
 
If you played the old wargame "From Sumter to Appomatox" and started as the union 1863, that is the main strategy, atleast for me.

I always sent Grants forces down to Vicksburg, then had them move east leaving one corps to guard Vicksburg. I often end up ending the war in december 63, early 64 by that strategy. Off course i always sent a corps from AOP down along the coast and invaded from the sea, while the rest of the AOP fought dozens of battles at Fredricksburg just to hammer Lee.
 
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